Every day in December I donned a bow tie as part of Dressember, a style challenge to fight human trafficking. Together with more than 50 donors, we raised over $7,000. We haven’t reached my goal of $10,000 (yet!), but we still made an incredible difference. Thank you!
If you’d like to donate, there’s still time: Donate now.
Human trafficking is a hard issue to talk about—I get it. So thank you for being a part of this month and listening to the stories and the traumas of this challenging issue.
As hard as it is to face, know that we’ve made a difference. I’ve already talked about the practical impact of those donations, from therapy to training, and I’ve shared stories from survivors that show the real world result of your donations.
Surprising Flashes of Joy
All that impact—over $7,000 worth—just from wearing a bow tie every day. How wild is that?
I love this aspect of Dressember, that we tackle this dark ugly topic with something as silly as a bow tie. Those of you who know me well know that I don’t take myself too seriously and sometimes I really am a strange person.
And that’s perfect! We need those surprises and flashes of joy to shake us out of our routines.
Freedom Fighters
On a more serious note, Dressember is also about dressing up to give dignity to those who have none. It’s about recognizing the humanity in all people and lending our voice and our platform to support those who not only have no platform, but literally have no freedom. They’re trapped.
So Dressember is one small way we can work for their freedom. We’re literal freedom fighters. That’s an amazing thing.
Thank you for coming with me on this journey and making a difference.
Keep Fighting
But know the fight isn’t over just because December is. January is human trafficking awareness and prevention month. Let’s keep the conversation going.
Please continue to educate yourself about human trafficking and learn about how you can have an impact. There are plenty of organizations and businesses doing incredible work. Check them out and support them:
- Dressember Collective
- 10 Thousand Windows
- A21 Campaign
- Anti-Slavery International
- Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking
- Coalition of Immokalee Workers
- Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking
- Dressember’s Ethical Fashion Directory
- ECPAT-USA
- Freedom Network USA
- The Freedom Story
- Human Trafficking Institute
- In-N-Out’s Slave 2 Nothing
- International Justice Mission
- Karana Rising
- Love146
- Olive Crest
- Pathfinders
- Polaris Project
- Restore
- Starfish Project
- Survivor Justice Initiative
- Truckers Against Trafficking
- Willow International
- Youth Spark
And of course Dressember has plenty of resources. It’s also never too late to donate.